


trick or treat

by callumsmitchells



Category: EastEnders (TV)
Genre: Different Meeting, Fluff, Halloween, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-26
Updated: 2020-10-26
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:29:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,490
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27208930
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/callumsmitchells/pseuds/callumsmitchells
Summary: It's Callum's first Halloween in Walford after moving there just days before, and Ben has already formed a liking to himor, ben takes lexi trick or treating, but maybe has an ulterior motive when he tells lexi to go to callum's
Relationships: Callum "Halfway" Highway/Ben Mitchell
Comments: 10
Kudos: 59





	trick or treat

**Author's Note:**

> the first of two halloween fics! i hope you enjoy x
> 
> tumblr: @callumsmitchells

It's only a few short weeks until Halloween night descends on Walford, and already there's a festive buzz about the place. The weather is nothing short of perfect for this time of year, a nippy wind providing cold mornings and evenings, a few days of rain here and there, but cloudless blue skies normally, disguising just how cold it actually is outside. There's decorations everywhere, carved out pumpkins sitting on garden walls, already turning brown and decaying. Jelly skeleto ns stick to the inside of windows, probably already starting to stain the glass. The shops are no different, with garish orange suddenly the only colour scheme people have ever heard of, cut out bats and fake blood all over. 

Ben sighs as he stands outside the Minute Mart, noticing that the doorway is holding up some bat streamers, guarding the way inside. He walks in, and instantly the streamers tangle around his arms.  _ He's only come in for some milk, not to deal with this.  _ He untangles himself quickly, trying to not break the stupid things, because he really doesn't want to be accused with vandalism. "Is that thing not turning away customers?" He grumbles to Honey, who's standing behind the till with a sickly sweet grin on her face. Her name is a likeness to her personality. 

"I think it's quite nice actually." She says. "The children enjoy it." 

Ben picks up his usual milk from the refrigerated area and plonks it down at the till. 

"Will that be all?" Honey asks, pressing a few buttons. 

Ben looks around at the till area, noticing that, as well as the garish decorations that litter the shop, there's also large quantities of sweets that are already on sale. He picks up a jumbo pack. "Those too." He says, taking his wallet out of his back pocket. "We're running low on them, with the amount of people in the house. It seems to be a free for all." 

He pays, and leaves the shop, but not before having the bat decorations tangle around his body once more, with a vengeance this time, unrelenting and not willing to let him escape their grasp. He finally breaks free, and walks back towards his home, head hanging low, hand carrying the milk already cold with the air, and now even colder with the item in his hand. He steps out onto the road, and looks up, finally, and something is different. The house next to his. The 'for sale' sign is being dismantled. It's been standing empty for months, the front garden starting to grow a little bit wild. But now, it seems someones moving in there after all. There's a moving van parked up, two wheels on the curb, blocking off people from walking on the pavement, and the doors are swinging open, exposing furniture and boxes upon boxes. 

Ben shakes his head slightly, and carries on walking, taking his collection of keys out of his pocket and letting them jangle and clash together. He's walking towards the van, and notices when he gets closer to it, the man standing inside of it, looking at all the boxes. 

"You alright there?" Ben asks, and maybe there's a chuckle that's threatening to bubble out of his throat when he sees the man jump at his voice.

That is, until he turns around, and Ben has to physically stop himself from his jaw dropping open. 

There he is, this gorgeous man, all tall and slim and cheeky grin. His eyes are bright blue, and his cheeks cherry blossom pink. And then he speaks. "I'm Callum." He says, and if it was possible to love a voice, Ben's just gone and done it. 

Ben lets out a throaty rumble, clearing his throat in anticipation of speaky. His hand is ice cold now, and he'll regret staying out this long without gloves no doubt. "Ben. I mean, my name's Ben. I live next door."

"Ah so you're my new neighbour then!" Callum grins and he steps down out of the van, standing closer to Ben now. 

"Sounds like it." Ben nods, and it doesn't go amiss that he's feeling like a giddy schoolkid just looking at Callum. 

"Is it a good area?" Callum asks. "I didn't exactly do my research before buying the place." 

Ben tilts his head to the side and smiles, because well, it's  _ Walford _ . "It's alright yeah. It's the sort of place everyone knows everyone, so you shouldn't have any trouble trying to make friends. There's a few people to watch out for, but other than that, it's good."

Callum takes his words in and nods, turning to pick up a box. "I look forward to meeting everyone then." He says, and then jerks his head to the box in his arms. "I should, er, carry on moving." 

"Yeah, course." Ben says, moving out of the way so Callum can walk past him and into the front garden. "I should be putting this in the fridge anyway, and then I need to pick up a Halloween costume." 

Callum chuckles slightly. "What are you dressing up as?" He inquires.

"Oh it's not for me!" Ben laughs, putting his key into his keyhole, but not yet turning it to unlock the door. "It's for my daughter, so she can go trick or treating. She wants to be a witch, apparently. But I'm also under the strictest orders to pick up some fake blood for her too."

Callum giggles, and shakes his head. "So a witch with blood everywhere? Sounds very unique."

Ben bites his lip in retaliation to Callum's laugh, trying not to smile wildly. "That's one word for her." He admits.

"I'll let you get on then. Can't let your daughter down." Callum grins. "I'll make sure to buy some sweets as well, if she's trick or treating."

Ben smiles at Callum, his mind racing as he thinks of something to say, but unable to speak all the same. Callum just smiles too, and a blush rises on both their cheeks, definitely not helped at all by the swirl of bitterly cold wind that makes its way to them, piercing their skin. Ben looks down, trying to hide his cheeks, but it's too late because Callum has definitely already seen. He twists his key in the lock, and hears a faint click, and he pushes the door open, feeling the warmth of his home hitting him instantly. When he's standing inside, he half looks back out, and notices that Callum and his box have disappeared. 

  
  


* * *

It's dark, when it comes to trick or treating. The moon's out, hanging high in the sky, bright and bold and beautiful, although the faint clouds often obscure it from view. There's a littering of stars surrounding it, and it's a crisp evening - thankfully without rain.

Lexi's standing in the corridor, wearing her witches costume, all black and purple and she has the matching stripy tights on her legs. Her coat is hiding most of the costume, but that's a price she has to pay, because it's so cold outside. The hat is too big for her, sliding off in all directions, but it's pointed high and she loves it. She's been wearing it since she woke up. She jumps up and down on the spot, her plastic orange bucket swinging back and forwards, hitting her leg. 

"Daddy!" She shouts. "Hurry up! I don't want people nicking all the good sweets!" 

There's a laugh that floats through the house and Ben appears, with fake blood smeared on his face. 

"Where's your fangs?" Lexi asks, hands on her hips. 

Ben holds his hand up, revealing plastic teeth. "Here." He says. "They don't fit me properly."

Lexi sighs. "You can't be a vampire if you don't have fangs, Daddy. That doesn't make sense."

Ben chuckles softly.  _ She's growing up too fast _ , he thinks. "Thought you wanted to go?"

She jumps up and down on the spot excitably, and then opens up the front door, running out into the cold of the night, swinging her empty bucket vigorously with every movement. Ben follows behind her, watching her carefully. There's more children out than he thought there would be, and it's noisy. 

"Can I go here daddy?" Lexi asks, and Ben looks to see where she's pointing. 

_ Callum's house _ .

There's already children at the door, and Callum's standing there holding out a bucket of sweets, half bending over yet somehow still towering over everyone in front of him. 

Ben nods. "Yeah. Go on princess." He smiles. 

Lexi runs up the pathway, and stands at the back of the group of children, a bright smile on her face. One by one, the rest of the children fall away, walking past Lexi and towards their next houses. She steps forward, and beams up at Callum who crouches down and hands his bucket of sweets out to her. As she's rummaging through, more than likely to search for her favourite sweets, Callum looks up at Ben, and is surprised to see that he's already looking his way.

"Nice fake blood." Callum chuckles.

Lexi looks up at him and smiles, and then looks at her dad. "He's got vampire fangs too, but won't wear them."

Ben shakes his head, but there's a soft smile on his face - content. "Because they don't fit. I got kids ones."

Callum chuckles out a laugh, and stands up to full length when Lexi picks out a packet of fizzy Haribo's. "Is she alright with them?" Callum asks, directing the question to  Ben. 

"Yeah." Ben nods. "She's under strict orders to only get one sweet per house anyway, but even that will send her hyperactive."

"At least it's only once a year." Callum says, and notices that Lexi is standing next to his gate, looking as though she's ready to move onto the next house already. "I'll let you get going then. Have fun." 

Ben huffs out a laugh. "You too."

Callum stands at his front door, and watches as Ben follows behind his daughter, both of them giggling away. It's moments before they're out of sight, and Callum looks down at the slippers on his feet, letting the butterflies exploding in his stomach wash over him. He steps inside and puts the rest of the sweets on his coffee table, ready for his doorbell to ring again. 

* * *

It's a lot colder, when they're making their way back. The wind is picking up, whistling all around them, and even Ben is shivering. He's holding Lexi's hat now, after it's blown off her head multiple times, leaving him to run after it. Lexi's bucket rattles with every step, and Ben dreads to think about how many sweets she's managed to swindle, knowing full well she hasn't stuck to the rules of one sweet per house. They're edging ever closer to home now, and Ben can tell that his daughter is finally starting to get tired, her little legs struggling to keep up, even if she's the sort of child to say she's definitely not tired. There's nobody around them, all the other trick or treaters retiring back to their home to shelter away from the coldness of the night. Ben notices that Callum's hallway light is still on, shining out of the top of his door.

"Go and knock on Callum's door again Lex." Ben says when they're only a few steps away. "He'll give you more sweets if you ask nicely." 

Lexi looks up at him, and Ben can see in her face that she's tired, her cheeks stained a bright red from the wind. "Mummy said I can only go to a house once." She says.

"I won't tell if you don't." Ben says. "Don't forget your hat." He places it back on her head, and watches as she knocks on Callum's door, a quiet tapping noise. 

A few moments later, the doors opening, and Callum's standing there with his hood up, bucket of sweets still in his hand, but with significantly less in it now. 

"Trick or treat!" Lexi yells, grin on her face, trying to fight the tiredness that's taking over her. 

Callum chuckles, and lets her look into the bucket of sweets again as he looks up at Ben, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion.

"Sorry." Ben whispers an apology. "She must really like your door." 

Callum lets out a giggle - an actual giggle - and he struggles to look at Ben as shyness takes over him. 

Ben feels the same, all lightheaded and dizzy and he combats it by taking an interest in his feet all of a sudden. 

Lexi looks between the pair of them, confusion written all over her face. "You forced me over here." She admits. "I took all the good sweets the first time." 

Callum looks at Lexi and his mouth hangs open, a laugh bubbling out. He peers up at Ben, who's now completely red in the face, aflame.

"Busted." Ben chuckles. He looks at Lexi, mainly to avoid looking at Callum. "Go on you. Show your mum your sweets." 

Lexi shrugs her shoulders but walks towards the house anyway, Ben watching to make sure she gets in, even though it's just metres away from where he's standing. The door clicks shut, and they can both just about make out the flurry of taps coming from Lexi's feet as she runs down the hallway. 

It's quiet between them for a few moments, both of them just basking in the peacefulness. Ben leans his head against the brick wall, instantly regretting it when his skin suddenly runs cold at the touch. He closes his eyes for just a second, and then speaks. "Sorry. About coming here again. I just - from when I saw you, I thought you were fit, and I guess this was my attempt at flirting with you." 

Callum huffs out a soft laugh, watching as Ben gets more and more flustered with every word he speaks, rambling on. It's cute. _He's cute._ Callum leans forward, soft smile on face, and gently takes Ben's head between his hands. He stops in his tracks for a moment, scanning his eyes over Ben's face just to check that everything is fine, that he hasn't taken this too far. He can see Ben gulp, his eyes looking up directly into Callum's, anticipating his next move. The smile spreads further over Callum's face, and he inches forward until finally, _finally_ , his lips touch Ben's and everything just seems right. 

Ben grins into the kiss, reaching out to hold onto Callum, grabbing his waist, pulling the two of their bodies together. He instantly warms up with Callum's touch, heat bubbling away inside of him, unrelenting. 

It's calming, their touch. It's shy, yet wanting. Peaceful, with no sound around them other than the ambience of the wind whistling through trees. 

Until.

The door creaks open and a little voice calls out. "Daddy! Mummy said I'm not allowed any sweeties until tomorrow!"


End file.
